Heater for stock watering tanks



1952 c. w. JOHNSON HEATER FOR STOCK WATERING TANKS Filed June 21. 1949 6Q mm mm mm m mm & R a M .Q m 1 m? w a \V 1 1 a & vm 9% v m mm 6 w Q mm Rm mm mm a mm W hum. NM m m mm Q 1 L 1 R R lll 6. M. JOHNSON U N Wm T T A B Patented Nov. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

The present invention relates, in general, to

heating devices, and particularly to heating appliances adapted to. heat the water instock watering tanks to prevent the .Water fromfreezingduring winter months and to raise thetemperature of the water to av pointmost suitable for. consumption of stock.

It is an object of thepresent invention to'provide a heater for stockwatering tanks whichwill maintain the water at a temperatureconducive to maximum consumption: bythe stock;

Another object is to provide aheater for stock watering tanks whichwill provide constant heat in sufiicient quantities to maintain the tempera.- ture of the water substantially constant.

A further object of the inventionis. to provide. a heater for a stock watering tank'which willnot become clogged with-frozen condensate.

A further object is toprovide a heater for a stock watering tank which maybe securely supported above the fioorofthe tank.

A still further object isv to provide aheater for a stock watering tank which will be. simple to,

taken in conjunction with the accompanying. drawings illustrates a preferred formof the in-.

vention.

In the drawings annexed hereto andformin a part hereof,

Fig. 1 is a side view," with certain parts in section, of a water heater for stock tanks in which the principlesof the present invention have been incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a. sectional view .takenapproximately along the plane indicated by the broken line. 2-12, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectionalviewtaken along the plane indicated by the line B-r3,;F

Reference will nowbe madamr at rdetail.

2; to the annexed drawings. foramore complete description ofxthiszinventiona In Fig... 1,.the ref erenee. numeral. .1 zindicates ;-astock tank::water heater, embodylingthe present; invention, installed :in. a stockiwatering. tanks. 2 of :conventional. construction.v The.tank125.has a :vertical side wall'i3 aperturedat 41 to.receive the heater l.'

element H having a substantially oval'cross-sec tion, as shown inFig. 3, withthe upper and lower legs 12 and I3 interconnectedby acurved section M. The section I 4 is provided with a drain or clean-out port closed by a plug. I75. The tubular element It is situated in the tank in a generally vertical plane and is arranged so that. the upperand lower legs I2 and I3 which are placed in diverging relation with respect .to one another, both make a slight angle with respect toa horizontal line, whereby any liquid condensate in the upper leg 12 and associatedparts will drain down around the curvedportionl l into the lower leg I 3 to thelower end thereof.

The upper end of the-upper leg 12 is provided with a tapped boss. 18 which'receives thev lower threaded endof a stackpipe IS. The stack pipe l9 extends upwardly from the boss. [8 to a point well above the upper-edgeofstheltankrl; The, pipe 19 :is fixed to .the upper portion of the .wall.

3 above the water level .9 by meansof a Uebolti l. The ,U bolt2l: encircles the pipe [9 andzextends through a spacer, orfiller block 22- and through thekwall'3 to secure the stack pipe l9 tothe tank 2, and to form a supplemental support for the heat exchange unit.

The lower end "of the lower leg ;I3 is provided witha ilange 25 whichis disposed ina-plane lying at a slight angle to the-longitudinal axis ofthe lower leg- [3,..the anglebeing such, asbest shown in Figl 1, thato'whe n the. flange, is fixed to the wall 3 of .theltank, the heat-exchange e1ement II is held in proper position in the tank, that is, with the upper and lower legs making equal but opposite angles with respect to a horizontal line. The outer face 26 of the flange 25 is adapted to lie against the inner face of the wall 3 with a sealing gasket 28 therebetween. With the parts arranged in this manner, the gaskets substantially fill the spaces between the flanges of the wall and the tank, and condensate which may form drops into the space between the flanges 25 and 36, and from this runs out through the hole 36a. The outer face 26, as shown in Fig. 2, of the flanged portion 25 is not flat but is formed on two planes lying at a slight angle so as to fit against either a curved tank wall or a flat tank wall. If the tank wall is flat, the tightening of the flange 25 thereagainst produces a slight bend, as shown in Fig. 2. The gasket 28 is of such flexibility and of such other characteristics as to readily accommodate either form of tank.

The burner unit 1 comprises a supporting panel 3| having a back panel section 32 and a lower or base section 33. The panel 3| is carried on a flange plate 35 having a flange 36 with a forward face 31 formed complementarily with respect to the flange 25, as best shown in Fig. 2. The central portion of the flange plate 35 is provided with a tubular extension 38 which is of similar crosssection to the leg l3 of the heat exchanger, and when the various parts are in position on the tank 2, is in alignment therewith. The tubular extension 38 has, in its upper half, an outwardly extending hood section 39, which is, in general,

semielliptical. This hood section 39 is of slightly smaller cross-section than the tubular extension 38, the juncture forming a shoulder against which the panel 32 is pulled by the tightening of nuts 55. The extension 38 furnishes a continuous bearing for a full three hundred and sixty degree (360") surface. The hood 39 extends into the compartment 1 and over the Bunsen burner 49 and terminates in a vertical end member 33a which closes the end of the hood 39 and surrounds the upper half of the burner 48. The hood 3939a thus forms a collecting chamber for the hot gases which rise from the burner, and directs such gases as rise from the burner into the lower open end of the heat exchanger 8, from whence they pass through the pipes l2 and I3 and out through the stack pipe l9 to the atmosphere.

A burner 43, which is, per se, of conventional construction, comprises an outer shell, an air inlet 32, and a head 43 to which fuel is delivered by a fuel line 44 from any suitable source within the housing 10. This burner 48 is carried on the base 33 of the supporting panel 32 by a bracket 45, or the like, and the forward part of the burner is under the hood section 39 and in a position to discharge its flame and heated gases of combustion through the tubular section 38 and the tank opening l, into the lower end of the heat exchange leg l3, from whence the heated gases pass through the unit H and out of the stack pipe I9.

The heater of the present invention is mounted on the tank wall by means that connects the two flanges 25 and 36. The flange 25 carries a plurality of threaded studs 5| and the outer flange 36 is apertured to receive the outer end portions of the studs 5|. In mounting the heater on a tank, the heat exchange unit 8 is first disposed in place within the tank, the wall 3 of which has been apertured to receive the heater, and the gasket 28 is placed over the studs 5|, and the latter inserted through holes in the tank wall. Next, the

4 flanged attaching member 35 is mounted on the studs extending outwardly of the tank wall. Then, nuts 54 are threaded onto the studs 5| and tightened firmly, thereby clamping the associated parts together on opposite sides of the tank wall in watertight relation.

The supporting panel 3| is next mounted on the end of the studs extending beyond the nuts 54 and fixed in place thereon by a second set of nuts 55. The supporting panel 3| also supports suitable controls 51 for the burner 45. Such controls 51 may be of any suitable kind and are represented by the control box 5? with which a thermally responsive unit 58 is connected. This includes a bulb 59 filled with thermally expansive fluid and connected through a capillary tube 6| to the associated part of the controls 51. The thermally responsive means 58 is supported by a suitable bracket (not shown), and a bushing 62 is screwed into a tapped opening 63 in the flange 25 of the lower leg, the bushing being disposed in registering holes 63 and 64 formed in the attaching flanges 25 and 36. The bulb 59 of the unit 58 is placed between and protected by the upper and lower legs I2 and I3, as best shown in Fig. 1. If there is any occasion to remove the thermostatic tube or bulb 59, it is possible to screw the nut 64 out of the opening in the sleeve 62 and replace it with a plug, not shown. This may be necessary if the thermostat gets out of order or if it be desirable to remove it during the summer when it is unnecessary to have heat on.

A housing is carried by the supporting member 3| and comprises an enclosure having side walls H, a back wall 12, and a top sloping wall 13. The forward edge portions of the side walls 1| carry inwardly spaced apart flanges l4 and 15, which guidingly receive the edges of the supporting panel section 32. The upper central portion of the latter has an upper vent opening 18 over which a downwardly and outwardly extending protecting plate 19 is secured, being thus arranged to prevent rain and the like from entering the housing 10. A similar vent 8| is provided in the base section 33 and is likewise protected by an angled plate 82. An upper baffle plate 83 covers the opening 8| in upwardly spaced relation to the base 33. The plates or baffles 18, 82, and 83 provide for the proper flow of air to the burner 48, which may include a pilot burner, if desired, but will prevent either burner from being extinguished by winds, or the like.

Besides providing ample air to the burner unit 7 to support combustion, the baflles 19, 82 and 83 insure a positive pressure within the burner unit which forces air up through the heat exchange unit forcing the products of combustion from under the hood 3939a into the heat exchanger. Thus any condensation of moisture from the products of combustion occurs within the heat exchanger and such condensate as does form in the heat exchanger runs down the leg 13 into the aperture between the flanges and and through the aperture 36a in the flange 35 and does not enter the burner unit I. This construction therefore prevents the accumulation of condensate in the burner unit 1 and keeps it dry at all times.

By removing the outer nuts 55, the supporting panel 3 I, together with the associated control and other parts, may be readily removed, as for servicing and the like, without affecting the firm connection of the flanged parts to the tank or the mounting of the heat-exchange unit 8 inside the tank. A packing gland 86 seals the passage of the tube 6| through the bushing 62.

help??? The parts are so propgrtioned and operated that practically all ofthe heatin the fluid flown h o shthe h a e enee unit; .51 3 r et e r e eeteasee e h is h ac y onde s t est s IeQ fiQ d n the a klt lene e-. e nd l w legs l an M he ewerenclp e Wee outthrough the hole36a. As best shown-in Fig. 1, the space between the flanges and 3serves as a trap r ham erin h qh t eedeneet w before unn ne uttemush e. penin 5 e firm atteehmeeto h er eee the vent stack 9 to the tankwall effectively protects the main partsofthe heater as a result'of any blow on the upper end of the stack. Any suitable means may be provided for holding the housin it in position on the supporting panel 3!, but such connection should be sufficiently sturdy to prevent detachment of the housing by cattle or hogs, in rubbing against the housing. It will be noted that all parts of the heater are placed above the bottom of the tank, whereby cleaning the tank, which may be necessary at intervals is facilitated.

It is of course understood that the specific description of structure set forth above may be departed from without departing from the spirit of this invention as disclosed in this specification and as defined by the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a Watering tank for stock including a side wall for said tank having a hole therein, a heater for the Water comprising, a V-shaped heat exchange element within said tank, said heat exchange element comprising a continuously upwardly sloping V-shaped tubular member for the passage of hot gases, means securing the lower end of said tubular member to the wall of the tank over said hole, a burner unit supported from said last named means and adapted to discharge heated gases into said heat exchanger, and a thermally responsive element adjacent the exterior of the heat exchanger and located in general between the legs of the V to control the flow of heated gas to the heat exchanger.

2. In a stock water tank, a water heater comprising a constantly upwardly sloping heat exchange element mounted within said tank, a burner unit mounted outside said tank and adapted to discharge heated gases into said heat exchange element, and a hood connected to said heat exchange element having its upper interior surface in a line with the interior of the heat exchange element and covering said burner unit and having its outer end in engagement with said burner unit and adapted to trap heated gases rising from said burner unit and direct the same into said heat exchange element.

3. In a stock water tank having an exterior wall, a stock water heater mounted about an aperture in said wall, said heater comprising, an upwardly sloping heat exchanger mounted on the interior of the tank about said aperture to heat the water in the tank, a housing mounted on the exterior of the tank at the lower end of said heat exchanger, an extension of the heat exchanger extending to said housing, a heating element mounted in said housing and adapted to discharge burning gases into said heat exchanger, a hood mounted above and partially surrounding said heating element with its outer end in contact with the heating element to collect gases rising from the heating element and direct the same into said heat exchanger, and means admitting air freely to said housing to assist in 6 carrying the gases from said-hood into said heat exchanger.

4. In a stock water tank having anexterior wall with an aperture cut therethrough, a stock water heater comprising, a, heat exchanger comprising a flange adapted to. be secured to .thewall of the tankabout said aperture. and a continuously upwardly sloping tubularIm'ember, a'second flange oh the exterior of the tank having'a central recess. therein and an aperture adapted to drain liquid from said recess, means including said flanges to secure said he ater to the tank wall about said-aperture, andahousing mounted on the; exterior ofthe tank and spaced from said second flange whereby condensate flows back down said tubular member into said recess and out through the aperture in the second flange without entering the housing.

5. In a stock water tank having an exterior wall with an aperture cut therethrough, a stock water heater comprising, a heat exchanger comprising a flange adapted to be secured to the wall of the tank about said aperture and a continuously upwardly sloping tubular member, a second flange on the exterior of the tank having a central recess therein and an aperture adapted to drain liquid from said recess, means including said flanges to secure said heater to the tank wall about said aperture, a housing mounted on the exterior of the tank and spaced from said second flange, a gas burner in said housing adjacent said heat exchange element and means to collect heated gases from said burner and direct the same into said heat exchanger, whereby condensate from the heated gases flows back down said tubular member into said recess and out through the aperture in the second flange without entering the housing.

6. In a stock water tank having an exterior wall with an aperture cut therethrough, a stock water heater comprising, a heat exchanger comprising a flange adapted to be secured to the wall of the tank about said aperture and a continuously upwardly sloping tubular member, a second flange on the exterior of the tank having a central recess therein and an aperture adapted to drain liquid from said recess, means including said flanges to secure said heater to the tank wall about said aperture, a housing mounted on the exterior of the tank and spaced from said second flange, a gas burner in said housing adjacent said heat exchange element and a hood above and partially surrounding said gas burner to collect heated gases from said burner and direct the same into said heat exchanger, whereby condensate from the heated gases flows back down said tubular member into said recess and through the aperture in the second flange without entering said housing.

7. A water heater for a stock watering tank, comprising an upwardly sloping heat exchange unit mounted within said tank, a housing mounted on the outside of said tank, and spaced therefrom and a burner within said housing discharging products of combustion into said heat exchanger to heat the water, said water heater having an aperture means located at and communicating with the lower end of the heat exchanger between said heat exchanger and said housing adapted to collect and drain moisture collecting in the heat exchanger from the Water heater without passing through the housing.

CHARLES W. JOHNSON.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Wilks June 24, 1890 Burke Oct. 17, 1893 Bates Mar. 15, 1904 Sheafl May 31, 1904 Thorbus June 27, 1905 Flory et a1 Apr. 24, 1906 Christensen May 25, 1909 McPheeters Sept. 13, 1910 Number 8 Name Date MacLennan Aug. 15, 1911 Murray July 1, 1913 Custis July 28, 1914 Bernhard Oct. 13, 1914 Davis Dec. 28, 1915 Behl Jan. 2, 1917 Shields Oct. 26, 1920 Wadley Dec. 6, 1921 Casper Jan. 22, 1924 Taylor Mar. 25, 1930 Etnyre Jan. 28, 1941 Norton Nov. 28, 1944 Kells Oct. 21, 1947 

